…Says there must be change in A’Ibom
It was a suspense-filled setting when the erstwhile Petroleum Minister, Otuekong Don Etiebet walked to the centre-stage and grabbed the microphone to make remarks, last Friday, at Ikot Ekpene after retiring from the burial ceremony of Mr. Ezekiel Asukwo, the late father-in-law to the immediate past Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area Chapter Chairman and Chairman of Chapter Chairmen Forum of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sunny Ibanga.
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| Atuekong Don Etiebet, PDP Board of Trustees member |
Everyone seemed to be on
tenterhooks to hear what he was going to say and as usual he did not mince his
words.
Etiebet, who is one of the founding members of the PDP and a member of the Party’s Board of Trustees (BOT), has been in the news all through the build-up to the 2015 elections slated for 28th day of this month and 11th April for his fierce stance against what he calls ‘impunity, irregularity and imposition of candidates in the party’.
The PDP BOT member stated: “I’m one of those who formed the PDP in Abuja. Am I lying? After forming the party I became a presidential aspirant; I nearly became the president under the party but not for the fact that the party hierarchy decided that another person (Obasanjo) should go for the sake of peace. One cannot overlook things when they are not rightly done just because one is a member of a party!
Etiebet, who is one of the founding members of the PDP and a member of the Party’s Board of Trustees (BOT), has been in the news all through the build-up to the 2015 elections slated for 28th day of this month and 11th April for his fierce stance against what he calls ‘impunity, irregularity and imposition of candidates in the party’.
The PDP BOT member stated: “I’m one of those who formed the PDP in Abuja. Am I lying? After forming the party I became a presidential aspirant; I nearly became the president under the party but not for the fact that the party hierarchy decided that another person (Obasanjo) should go for the sake of peace. One cannot overlook things when they are not rightly done just because one is a member of a party!
“Being a member of the PDP Board of Trustees does not mean I should keep quiet
when the party does what is not right. If you have a child who steals, it is
wrong if you encourage him to steal further. I have spoken, anybody should
quote me; I’m saying that the PDP has not done the right thing in Akwa Ibom…
For them to clandestinely come into my ward and select delegates without my
knowledge, is that right?
“Therefore, there must be change in this state because we cannot continue like this. We cannot keep continuing with impunity, we cannot continue with insult and disrespect of elders, we cannot continue with embezzlement and corruption, we cannot continue with the establishment of family dynasty. As a founding leader of the party, if I wished government should be a family dynasty, this whole state would have been my personal property.
“This is democracy. In a democracy, the will of the masses subsists. Therefore whoever thinks otherwise should be sent away. The people are now behind change. Now we have someone that will change Akwa Ibom State for the better, he is Obong Umana Okon Umana.”
The burial of Mr. Ibanga’s late father-in-law who is now a staunch member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which took place at Otoro Abak in Abak local government area was attended by a cream of political bigwigs including the former Petroleum Minister, Otukong Etiebet; former deputy-governor and the G22 leader, Mr. Nsima Ekwere; the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Umana Okon Umana and his deputy, Engr. Ben Ukpong; APC State Chairman, Dr. Amadu Attai; and the Director-General of the APC Campaign Council, Mr. Sonny Udom.
Others were, the APC candidate for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Obong Inibehe Okorie and his Eket Senatorial District counterpart, Hon. Bassey Etienam; former House of Representatives member, Abom Tony Esuh; the Pro-chancellor of Akwa Ibom State University, Prof. Okon Eminue; former Commissioner, Dr. Udoma Bob Ekarika and Engr. Essien Ibok.
“Therefore, there must be change in this state because we cannot continue like this. We cannot keep continuing with impunity, we cannot continue with insult and disrespect of elders, we cannot continue with embezzlement and corruption, we cannot continue with the establishment of family dynasty. As a founding leader of the party, if I wished government should be a family dynasty, this whole state would have been my personal property.
“This is democracy. In a democracy, the will of the masses subsists. Therefore whoever thinks otherwise should be sent away. The people are now behind change. Now we have someone that will change Akwa Ibom State for the better, he is Obong Umana Okon Umana.”
The burial of Mr. Ibanga’s late father-in-law who is now a staunch member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which took place at Otoro Abak in Abak local government area was attended by a cream of political bigwigs including the former Petroleum Minister, Otukong Etiebet; former deputy-governor and the G22 leader, Mr. Nsima Ekwere; the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Umana Okon Umana and his deputy, Engr. Ben Ukpong; APC State Chairman, Dr. Amadu Attai; and the Director-General of the APC Campaign Council, Mr. Sonny Udom.
Others were, the APC candidate for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Obong Inibehe Okorie and his Eket Senatorial District counterpart, Hon. Bassey Etienam; former House of Representatives member, Abom Tony Esuh; the Pro-chancellor of Akwa Ibom State University, Prof. Okon Eminue; former Commissioner, Dr. Udoma Bob Ekarika and Engr. Essien Ibok.
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